"Have you been doing all right lately?" Harry felt foolish the moment he asked.
"I'm fine." Will did not look up. He was still leafing through the letters in his hands.
Harry's heart sank. The excitement Sophie had brought him vanished all at once.
"Pull yourself together, Harry. What's wrong with you?" Stephen Strange's voice sounded in his ear.
Harry ignored Strange.
"Um... got any plans for the summer holiday?"
"I'm going to study. And get a head start on fifth-year classes."
Harry tried talking to Will a little longer, but each exchange made him feel worse. A few minutes later, he stepped out, closed the door softly, and leaned against a window in the corridor. He watched the fields race past in silence for a long time.
It felt as though a thick wall stood between him and Will.
He did not know what Will had been through with the Death Eaters. Will would not say, and Harry did not know how to ask.
As soon as Harry left, Sylvia poked Will. "Did you have to go that far? He looked ready to cry."
"It's necessary." Will glanced at Sylvia. "He'll be all right once he gets through this."
There was no way around it. Will and Dumbledore had done too much to let Harry reveal any of it to Voldemort now.
Besides, Voldemort still had a part to play in Will's plans. It was not time to break with him yet.
Harry returned to his compartment. The door shut behind him with a heavier thud than he had intended.
Hermione, Ron, and Neville were inside. Hannah and Luna were sitting in another compartment. The three of them had been talking, but they fell silent the moment Harry came in.
Harry did not notice their expressions. He dropped